From vulgar script lines to sexual innuendos, Saturday night in Petaluma featured a crowd bustling with excitement for the Phoenix Theater’s showing of the rock musical cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
The feature film included audience participation and props to make the movie more lively. Many movie-goers dressed up as characters in the movie or in lingerie. From young children to older adults, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has created quite a following since it premiered in the 70s.
Audience members had survival kits available to them to buy for $2 that contained props they needed to “survive” the night. Audience participation is key in the showing of the movie.
Many people have seen the film but not everyone has participated at this kind of showing. Audience members memorized the participation script and yelled things in between the spoken lines in the movie script, which made for a memorable experience.
Guests were also invited to throw props at selected times during the movie including toilet paper, decks of cards and bread rolls.
Everyone in the audience stood up and sung along with some of the songs in the movie.
Songs included the fan favorite, “Time Warp” a tune with a dance involved in it. All the audience members who had never been to a showing of the movie were called virgins and had v’s marked on their heads. Then they were told to come on stage and dance. A select few were picked from the crowd of virgins and asked to participate in games on stage.
This particular showing was being filmed for a documentary called, “Rocky Horror Saved My Life.” As a result, audience members really went all out.
The movie itself is unlike anything most have ever seen before.
It’s about a mad scientist and notorious transvestite Dr. Frank N. Furter and the guests in his house. Brad and Janet, a plain looking couple, end up at Dr. Furter’s madhouse after their car breaks down and have to spend the night after he murders an intruder. He brings to life a Frankenstein like character with a chiseled body and rugged good looks.
Many debacles happen and lead to a bunch of different infidelities within the story. It’s crazy, it’s wacky, it’s inappropriate it’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”